452: NYFW Days 4 + 5 / Fashion's strange addiction
Prince's $27,000 Versace walking stick, "newsletter shoes," personal circuit boards.
Magasin’s pop-up Fashion Week newsletter-within-a-newsletter, where we go on the ground to suss out hot shopping gossip from scenes of interest: New York Fashion Week, Days 4 + 5.
Weather report
39ºF / 4º C — Happy Valentine’s Day! I typically celebrate alongside all of my industry peers, and this year was no different.
Itinerary
Feb 13
11a Theory preview — Peak suiting separates with the most “can’t believe it’s faux” fur gilets. Purple is definitely the color of the season. - Maya Kotomori
12p Calvin Klein Collection show — three seasons in, and I’m starting to recognize The CKC silhouette: broad-shouldered, past-fingertips jacket lengths, very flat lapels. A surprising red rubber trench and Elmo-sleeved coat joined the suiting this season.
1p Dôen preview — held at the Chelsea Hotel, a perfect setting for digging through trunks of manicolored silk slips.
1p Adam Lippes preview — inspired by vintage sports cars, the collection is as slick as it is gilded glamour, featuring hand-painted sequin frocks, glossed python skin separates, and sumptuous coats. - Maya Kotomori
2p Fforme show — yet again, a top two or three show for me from the season. It was some version of “give the people what they want” (pony hair, fur-like shearling, crushed velvet) and “doing it our way” (fabric manipulation, utilitarian flourishes).
3p 7 For All Mankind show
3:30p Heirlome preview — inspired by the Peruvian prints, the silhouette is that of an elongated bubble hem: accordion textures done in silks, cashmeres, and slinky separates. - Maya Kotomori
4:30p Simkhai preview
5p Kallmeyer show — matador pants, old Prada patent bags, crushed satin heels, chin-strap trenches…a show full of pieces I need in my closet like yesterday! Does the current “neither just work nor just play” wardrobe thing so perfectly.
7p Cafe Kallmeyer after-party at Sloane’s at The Manner
9p Pre-party dinner at Sartianos
10p Emily Dawn Long disco at (SUB)MERCER
Feb 14
12p Altuzarra show
5p Eckhaus Latta show — top three! The leather jacket and pants ensemble would look great on me.
7p Khaite show — all bangers all the time. I’m sharing my Future Shoppers selects next send, so I’ll reserve my pre-spend thoughts until then. For now, what I will comment on is the show production (by Griffin Franzen, Prodject, and Vincent de Belleval) that blew everything else from the week out of the water. I only opened my mail this morning, but the physical invite was a circuit board with a single battery that when turned on spelled out KHAITE NEW YORK CITY. Next level.
8p MyTheresa and Khaite cocktail with performance by Hamilton Leithauser at Bemelmans Bar
8p Gabe Gordon show — Tonya Harding-level ice skating references with some crinoline-layered buffalo check tunics, and an array of cheeky printed knits. - Maya Kotomori
some skips
Outfit rundown
AM
Bally Leather Jacket (similar from Salon 1884, $1,836 $4,590) / Kallmeyer Mollie Button Down in Linen Viscose, $765 / Kallmeyer Emilee Pencil Skirt in Linen Viscose, $640 / Connor McKnight The Mixed Bag, $750 / Toteme Downtown Boots, $1,200
PM
Emily Dawn Long Heart Brooch, coming soon / Schostal Tank Top, $55 / Still Here Life Jean, $280 / The Row Black & Beige Mesh Tall Boots, $1,190 $1,700 / Kallmeyer Sora Beaded Belt in Silver (as necklace), $485 / Sarah Eisman Studio Lith Pod Drop Pendant, $9,350
PM (next day)
Uniqlo U Men’s Car Coat (on resale, $121) / Keigan Burgundy Leather Jacket (similar from Atorie, $325) / Rubirosa Button-Down Shirt, $340 (similar from Comme Si, $275) / Olga Basha Sal Jeans, $490 / Khaite Lori Squared Bag, $1,980 / Toteme The Slim Leather Knee-High-Boots, $791 $1,130 / Maximum Henry Wide Standard Belt, $160
Shopping gossip
Like the “newsletter pants” and “Substack shorts” that came before, I fear we now have a “newsletter shoe”: Chanel’s patent opera flats whose immense investment opportunity I wrote about here, has revealed itself as belonging to me (I wore mine on Tuesday), Becky Malinsky (wore hers last night), and Courtney Grow (didn’t see her wearing them, but she commented on Becky’s that she owns them as well). They’re going for north of $2k on resale, but this Ezra Flats pair is a fair dupe and only $345.
Some notable partners from the week’s show notes: Monastery skincare for Kallmeyer (the social coverage was compelling); Fara Homidi makeup and Swedish Stockings for Eckhaus Latta; T3 hair dryers and hair tools at Proenza; NARS makeup at Tory Burch; Harry’s grooming at Public School; and Gigi Burris hats in collaboration with TWP.
Those remarkable floating metal “straps” on dresses at the Fforme show were made in collaboration with ANH Jewelry, the second collection they’ve worked on together—last season’s included necklaces made of violin horsehair.
Most Americans don’t anymore, but fashion people still smoke cigarettes. They were everywhere this week: GWYN, Khaite, I saw beauty brand (!) Sidia released its own…less compelling…custom branded cigarette packs. Madewell offered them last season for it’s Alexa Chung collab party, too. I have to wonder why? The “suppresses appetite” argument is less convincing with GLP-1s available, so I imagine it’s because smoking is nostalgic (I’m watching “Mad Men” and am physically overwhelmed thinking about how much people used to burn through cigs). Everyone still wants to have been a guest at Mary-Kate’s wedding. I also have to say this because I get comments for every smoking mention: I am not advocating for it! It’s not my business what other people do with their bodies.
Zoe Latta gave the designer wave after her show wearing a pair of red Martiniano glove heels. One of us! One of us!
A ruffled Khaite dress from the runway reminded me of a pair of Hai pants I have at home—crushed velvet with rows of dupion silk frills at the hem. Inspired to wear them now with a bowtie, possibly as a belt.
I sadly missed Emilia Petrarca’s shopping afternoon at Versace, but I caught up with her about it at the Eckhaus Latta show, where I learned about a VIC who came in sporting a cane. Was it Versace? As evidenced by this $27,000 version owned by Prince, they do exist…
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I appreciate your observations about smoking’s resurgence in fashion circles, but I’d gently push back on the “what people do with their bodies” framing when it comes to a platform like yours.
Unlike most personal choices, smoking is uniquely addictive and deadly—there’s no safe amount, and it kills half of long-term users. The timing you’ve noted isn’t coincidental: the Master Settlement Agreement’s advertising restrictions have indeed weakened, and we’re seeing exactly what public health experts predicted.
Fashion has enormous cultural influence, especially on young people. When smoking appears at NYFW or in trend pieces without pushback, it doesn’t just reflect culture—it shapes it. We spent decades reducing youth smoking rates through education and de-glamorization. Those gains are fragile.
I’m not suggesting you police anyone’s choices, but using your platform to acknowledge the reality—that this is a deadly, addictive product being remarketed to a new generation—would be genuinely helpful. A simple “this trend comes with serious health consequences” doesn’t require being preachy; it’s just honest.
Your voice matters to your readers. We can document trends while also refusing to let a new generation get hooked on something we know will hurt them.